From the product brochure “Schunk Ultraschall-Schweißsysteme MINIC-II” [English: “Schunk Ultrasonic Welding Systems MINIC-II”] by Schunk Sonosystems GmbH dated February 2011, a method for cutting rod-shaped conductors is known which is used in combination with an ultrasonic welding unit comprising a receiving device realized as a compacting space for receiving blank portions of rod-shaped conductors which are to be connected to form a weld node, a sonotrode, which delimits the compacting space and which serves for forming the weld node, being used for subjecting the blank portions to ultrasound. The knife unit comprises a knife which can be moved past a counter knife edge of the compacting space in a cutting movement in such a manner that a part to be separated from the blank portions connected to each other to form a cutting node, which protrudes over the counter knife edge of the compacting space, is separated.